Posted
by
samzenpus
on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @12:21PM
from the I-honestly-have-a-bridge-to-sell-you dept.

The Jones brothers may be criminals but they are not scam artists. When they try to sell you a bridge they're willing to deliver. The pair are accused of dismantling a western Pennsylvania bridge and selling the 15 1/2 tons of scrap metal for more than $5,000. From the article: "Police say 24-year-old Benjamin Arthur Jones and 25-year-old Alexander Williams Jones of New Castle used a blowtorch to break up the bridge in late September or early October. They face felony charges of criminal mischief, theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy. Authorities say Alexander Jones told a recycling company employee that he had permission to carve the bridge for scrap and showed the employee cellphone photos of the bridge. The recycling company called police."

Bridge thieves actually _were_ a threat to the Brass Bridge in Ankh-Morpork. I thought they were just slacking off by guarding the bridge instead of actually investigating crimes, but it turns out they were right when they claimed to be several steps ahead of the criminal element. I stand corrected.

This is Pennsylvania. As someone who lived in Pittsburgh, I can tell you with certainty that 400 hours to dismantle a bridge of any size is so optimistic it is borderline idealism. Realistically, the state would fund a 10-year project to dismantle the bridge; and 10 years later, it would still be there. However, they would have placed copious amounts of those brightly colored road work barrels and numbers of signs threatening higher fines on the unused road...

How can they be charged with receiving stolen property, when they are also being charged with stealing that same property?They apparently weren't given the stolen stuff, they stole it.They didn't buy it, they were trying to sell it.Sure, they're trouble making thieves with a destructive streak, but that's still no reason for the 'justice' system to falsify charges.

Kind of makes me wonder if you speed in Pennsylvania, will they not only charge you with speeding, but also stealing gas from the cop car that pu